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Kesho asubuhi, tutawaaga marafiki wetu kabla ya kuondoka.

Kesho asubuhi, tutawaaga marafiki wetu kabla ya kuondoka.
Tomorrow morning, we will say goodbye to our friends before leaving.
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Questions & Answers about Kesho asubuhi, tutawaaga marafiki wetu kabla ya kuondoka.

How do I break down tutawaaga into its parts?

tutawaaga = tu- (we) + -ta- (future tense: will) + -wa- (object marker: them) + -aga (verb root: say goodbye / take leave).
So it literally means we-will-them-goodbye → we will say goodbye to them.

Why are there two a’s in tutawaaga?

Because the verb stem starts with a (-aga) and it comes right after the object marker -wa-.
So -wa- + -aga → -waaga (the vowels end up next to each other, giving aa in spelling and pronunciation).

Is -wa- in tutawaaga required? What if I leave it out?

It’s not strictly required, but it changes what the sentence sounds like and can affect clarity.

  • tutawaaga = we will say goodbye to them (explicit object: them)
  • tutaaga = we will say goodbye / we will take our leave (object is unstated; could be understood from context)

Including -wa- makes it clear you’re saying goodbye to people already mentioned (here: marafiki wetu).

Why does Swahili put the object inside the verb (like -wa-) instead of using a separate word like them?

Swahili commonly uses object markers inside the verb to show who receives the action. You can still also mention the noun separately for clarity/emphasis:

  • tutawaaga marafiki wetu = the verb already has them, and then you name them: our friends.
    This is normal in Swahili and often sounds natural, not “redundant” the way it might in English.
What does marafiki wetu literally mean, and why is it wetu (not something else)?

marafiki wetu = friends our → our friends.

wetu is the possessive stem -etu (“our”) with agreement for the noun. Even though marafiki has ma-, it refers to people, and it commonly takes wa--type agreement in many contexts—so you get wetu.

Why is it Kesho asubuhi with no word for “on/in” (like “in the morning”)?

Swahili often expresses time without a preposition:

  • Kesho asubuhi = tomorrow morning (natural as-is)

You can add extra words in other contexts (like asubuhi ya kesho = tomorrow’s morning), but for a simple time phrase, the bare nouns work well.

How does kabla ya kuondoka work grammatically?

kabla ya means before (of) and is typically followed by:

  • a noun, or
  • an infinitive (ku- verb)

So:

  • kabla ya kuondoka = before leaving / before (we) leave

Here kuondoka is the infinitive to leave / leaving, which fits the kabla ya + infinitive pattern.

Could I also say “before we leave” more explicitly (with a full verb form)?

Yes. A common alternative is a subordinate clause like:

  • kabla hatujaondoka = before we leave (literally: before we-have-not-left / before we do not leave yet)

That version explicitly includes we inside the verb (tu-), while kabla ya kuondoka is more like before leaving.

What’s the difference between kuondoka and other “leave” verbs like kuacha?
  • kuondoka = to leave / depart (go away from a place)
  • kuacha = to leave behind / abandon / stop (doing something)

In this sentence, you mean departing, so kuondoka is the right choice.

Is the comma after Kesho asubuhi required?

Not required. It’s a stylistic choice to mark a pause after the time phrase. Both are fine:

  • Kesho asubuhi, tutawaaga… (with a pause)
  • Kesho asubuhi tutawaaga… (no pause)
How should I pronounce the tricky parts of the sentence?

A few helpful points:

  • Kesho: KE-sho
  • asubuhi: a-su-BU-hi (each vowel is pronounced)
  • tutawaaga: tu-ta-wa-A-ga (notice the long-ish aa sound)
  • kuondoka: ku-on-DO-ka (clear vowels; stress often feels like it’s on the second-to-last syllable in careful speech)